President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his push for Texas Republicans to back Attorney General Ken Paxton ahead of Tuesday’s Senate runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, days after formally endorsing the candidate in the GOP primary contest.
In a recent social media statement, Trump praised Paxton’s tenure as attorney general, highlighted his loyalty during the president’s legal battles, and sharply criticized Cornyn over election integrity and immigration issues.
“TEXAS, REMEMBER! Ken Paxton was a GREAT Attorney General, probably the best in the Country,” Trump wrote. “He was also very loyal to your favorite President, ME, as the Dumocrats played their ultimate game of Weaponization, and failed, BADLY!”
Trump also noted his electoral success in Texas while accusing Cornyn of failing to support key conservative priorities. “Ken’s opponent was VERY disloyal to me, as President, and didn’t fight hard enough for the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT – VOTER I.D., PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP, NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS,” Trump wrote before urging voters to support Paxton on Tuesday.
The race has become one of the nation’s most closely watched Republican primary contests, drawing millions in campaign spending and serving as a major test of Trump’s influence within the GOP.
Earlier Sunday, Paxton spoke about the race, crediting Trump’s endorsement and recent efforts for building momentum in the final days of the campaign. “Now that we’ve defined John and people understand what he’s about, we finally had enough money to get a message out about what he actually believes, which is that he fought the border wall,” Paxton said.
“He’s pro-amnesty. He didn’t want Donald Trump to be reelected,” Paxton added.
Paxton has campaigned heavily on immigration enforcement, election security, and support for Trump’s America First agenda, while Cornyn has pointed to his long Senate record and influence within the Republican conference.
Tuesday’s runoff is expected to draw significant turnout and could reshape Texas’s political landscape, where Trump-backed challengers increasingly target longtime Republican incumbents viewed as insufficiently aligned with the president’s agenda.
